Standpipe system



- Sept. 26, 1933. @ONRAN 1,928,006

STANDPIPE SYSTEM Original Filed July 10, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTOR EYSept. 26, w CQNRAN STANDPIPE SYSTEM Original Filed July 10, 1928 2Sheets-Sheet 2 I ENTOR v BY 4 Q0 ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 26, 1933UNl'lED STATES.

PATENT OFFICE v 4 Divided and this application April 28, 1931. SeriaINO.533,398

5 Claims. (Cl 1695) The present invention relates to fire-extin guishingstandpipe systems for buildings such as disclosed, for example, in U. S.Patents Nos. 816,- 152 and 1,253,005, granted to me March 27, 1906 andJanuary 8, 1918, respectively.

In a system of this character a standpipe extends vertically in theinterior of the building, passing upward through the various floors, andis provided at the several stories or levels with branches havingnozzles, these branches having valves and a remote control system beingprovided for opening said valves selectivelyfrom a control station inthe basement or lower portion of the building. By hydraulic means, thestandpipe, together with allits nozzles, can be raised or lowered inorder to change the strikingrdistance of the stream delivered from anyone of the nozzles, to enable the stream to clear obstructions, toenable the stream to be played close to the floor or at any height thatmay be found desirable when subduing a fire at a distant point of thefloor, and in general to provide a vertical range through which thestream can be moved to attack a fire in the most effective manner. Inaddition, the standpipe with its nozzles can be turned about itsvertical axis to enable a stream or streams to be delivered in anylateral direction or to cause the streams to sweep back and forthlaterally to cover the entire area to be protected.

The purpose of this invention is to provide, in combination with astandpipe system having either or both of these features, a means for renabling the-various nozzles of the system to be set and locked at anyselected inclination in respect to the horizontal. This feature greatlyincreases the value of such fire-protection systems, since at differentfloors there are apt to be different distances between the floor andceiling lines, and also because at certain floors there may bepart-height partitions or obstructions which can be taken into accountin the installation of the system, or in the re-setting of the nozzlesfrom time to time depending upon changes in the conditions under which afire may have to be fought at one floor or another.

For any given water pressure that can be delivered at any floor thetheoretical horizontal reach of the stream that would be delivered fromthat nozzle can be ascertained for any degree of inclination of thenozzle, and it is safe to assume that the stream will actually carry atleast of this distance. 'In addition, however, there must also beconsidered the height of the ceiling which" must be cleared by thehighest point of the curve described by the stream, if the stream is toattain its maximum reach. Consequently, the ability to set the variousnozzles at any and different inclinations and to u e th m rigidly intheir various positions, so that they will not be disturbed, is animportant advance in the art. The features of construction employedinthe carrying out of the invention can best .be described in the bodyof the specification.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part hereof: a I Fig.1; is afragmentary elevation; of a standpipe system to which the invention isapplied, certain parts being broken away and others in section,

and portions of the building being represented in section;

Fig. 2 is a section taken on Fig. 1; r 7 Fig. 3 is an enlargedview,'principal1y in vertical section, of oneof the nozzle branches oroutlets-of the system, the nozzle being shown in full lines inahorizontal position and in broken lines at an upward inclination, toindicate a range of angular settings; 1 p v Fig. 4 is a plan view of thenozzle branch, partlyinsectiomand I M Fig. 5 is an end view of thenozzle branch, with portions broken away. v I

Referring now to Fig. 1, the standpipe comprises a plurality of pipesections I joined by nozzle-carrying fittings 2 and the control fittingthe line 2 2 oi 3, the lowermost pipe section carrying at its lower endthe piston 4 slidably mounted in thesupporting and lifting cylinder 5.The standpipeis slidably-and rotatably movable in openings in the floors7,'where suitable bearing sleeves (not shown) may be provided for itsguidance. U

Each of thenozzle-carrying'fittingsZ comprises a-discharge branch 8, atthe .end of which is mounted one of the nozzles 9, to be described in'detail hereinafter, and in which ismounted a valve 10 for controllingflow through the nozzle. Each of the valves 10 is controlled by a piston11, which is normally held in itslower position by a spring 12 andraised-by the admission of pressure fluid from one of the control pipes13 to the cylinder below the piston. Each control pipe 13 passes throughthe interior of the standpipe to the control fitting 3, through the wallof which it passes to the exterior: of the standpipe, and at this pointis provided with a three way operating valve 14'. The several controlpipes 13 may be connected to a manifold 17.

'A control pipe 15 passing through the control fitting and having anexteriorly mounted threeway' operating valve 16 serves tosupply'pressure fluid to the cylinder 5 below the piston 4 for thepurpose of raising the standpipe. This control pipe is shown connectedwiththe manifold at 19.

The inlet ends -of the several control pipes 13 may be connected to anannular manifold 17.

Rotation of the standpipe can be effected by using the pipe 19 as alever, although a separate lever for this specific purpose may beattached to the standpipe.

A connection 25 provided with a valve-26serves to admit water to thestandpipe and to the manifold 18, the latter being shown connected withthe connection 25 by a branch 28, containing a valve 29. Manifestly,these particular arrangements are not essential, since, for example, thecontrol pipes 13 and 15 can be arranged to receive operating liquid fromthe interior of the standpipe as illustrated in my prior patents. A hose31 is shown for supplying water under pressure from the city mains orother source to the connection 25.

Figs. 3 to 5 illustrate in detail one of the nozzle branches which arecarried by the standpipe at the several stories or levels of thebuilding. The construction being the same in the various dischargebranches of the standpipe system, a description of one of the nozzlebranches will suffice for all.

The discharge branch 8 is externally threaded at 42, and the end of thebranch formingthe wall of the discharge orifice is machined to form aconvex bearing surface 43 the contour of which is a portion of thesurface of a horizontal cylinder.

r The nozzle 9 is formed with a belled base 44, one face of which ismachined to a concave bearing surface 45 of the-same character andradius as the surface 43, against whichit is adapted to seat. Theopposite face of base 44 is machined to a convex spherical surface 46. Acoupling and clamping collar 4'7 is provided with a hexagonal base 48and/or with projections 60, to receive a heavy wrench. This collar isscrewed tightly onto the threaded end of the branch 8 so as to clamp thenozzle 9 immovably at any selected deflection.

The collar is formed with an aperture 49 larger in diameter than thetubular portion of nozzle 9. The under surface 50 surrounding theaperture 49 is machined to a concave spherical curvature 50 adapted toengage the spherical surface 46 of the nozzle base 44. 'Anindex 51 isstamped on the face 46 of the nozzle base, said index cooperating withthe inner edge of the aperture 50 to show in degrees the angle ofinclination of the nozzle.

From the foregoing description it follows that the nozzle 9 can beadjusted to any desired vertical angle and clamped in the desiredposition by tightening the screw collar .47. The cylindrical surfaces 43and 45 prevent lateral displacement, while the spherical surfaces 46 and50 form a-fiuid-tight joint regardless of the position of rotation ofthe collar 47. In order to keep the diameter of collar 4'7 to a minimum,the base 44 of the nozzle is preferably made eccentric with respecttojthe longitudinal axis of the nozzle, as indicated in Figs. 3 and 5.As shown in Fig. 3, the nozzle-is adjustable at any vertical inclinationbetween a horizontal and a maximum upwardly inclined position. 7 v jTheinvention presented in this application is a division of myapplication filed July 10, 1928, Serial Number 291,628.

I claim:

1. In a fire-protection standpipe system con-' stituting an installationin a building, the combi nation witha movable standpipe extendingvertically in the building, and supported for oscillation about itsaxis, of valved discharge branches carried by said standpipe at thevarious levels, said branches having cylindrically curved end surfaceswith their axes of curvature substantially horizontal, nozzles appliedto said branches and located in substantially the same vertical plane,each of said nozzles having a base formed with a complementarycylindrically curved surface to seat against one of said end surfaces sothat the nozzles can be shifted in a vertical plane to differentdeflections, and coupling -members which look the nozzles to thebranches at the deflections at which they are set.

2. In a fire-protection standpipe system, the

combination of a discharge branch of the system, said discharge branchhaving a cylindrically curved end surface, a nozzle having a base formedwith a complementary cylindrical surface adapted to seat against thefirst-named surface and with an external spherically curved surface,

a deflection indicating scale on said base, and a screw coupling memberadapted to clamp the nozzle rigidly to the branch, said coupling memberhaving an internal surface formed to cooperate with the sphericallycurved surface of the nozzle base.

4. A fire-protection standpipe system including in combination astandpipe extending vertically in the building, valved dischargebranches at the several levels of the building, means for oscillatingthe standpipe about its axis and for moving the standpipe vertically toshift the positions of the branches with respect to the levels of thebuilding, a nozzle for each discharge branch, all of the nozzles beinglocated in substantially the same vertical plane, connections betweenthe nozzles and their respective branches, including means for changingthe vertical deflection and preventing horizontal displacement of eachnozzle with respect to the standpipe, and releasable locking means forholding each nozzle in adjusted position. I

5. A fire-protection standpipe system ing a standpipe extendingvertically in a building, valved discharge branches at the severallevels of the building, remote control means for the valves of saidbranches, a nozzle for each discharge branch, said nozzles being locatedin substantially the same vertical plane, connections between thenozzles and their respective branches, each of said connections beingadjustable to change the vertical, deflection of its associated nozzleand hold said nozzle against horizontal movement, releasable lockingmeans for holding each nozzle in adjusted position, and means for movingthe standpipe about its axis tochange the positions of all dischargebranches and noz-.

.zles simultaneously.

compris-

